Frankl and his family were imprisoned in concentration camps during the war. Frankl was held in several camps before he was liberated from the last in 1945. During his time in the camps, Frankl witnessed the extreme cruelty of camp guards and the prisoners who were given special status by them, also known as Capos. He also witnessed the cruelty of the prisoners to each other as they underwent the three stages of reaction to their imprisonment.

4 out of 5 stars

Summary is a good overview

By
C Dylan Milks
on
10-11-17

Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning

By:
Viktor E. Frankl

Narrated by:
Grover Gardner

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
245

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
162

Story

4 out of 5 stars
166

Viktor Frankl is known to millions of listeners as a psychotherapist who has transcended his field in his search for answers to the ultimate questions of life, death, and suffering.
Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning explores the sometimes unconscious basic human desire for inspiration or revelation and illustrates how life can offer profound meaning at every turn.

5 out of 5 stars

Unconscious Religiousness and the Ultimate Meaning

By
Mirek
on
12-07-08

As a Man Thinketh

By:
James Allen

Narrated by:
Brian Holsopple

Length: 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,453

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,553

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,530

This audiobook version of
As A Man Thinketh is true to the original. Every word written by James Allen is spoken with clarity and authority by the narrator, making it easy to remember the information and absorb the timeless wisdom. This short audiobook, originally published in 1902, has had a huge impact in the field of personal development. It is regarded as one of the most important books of the new thought era. It's written in such a way that makes it easy to understand the most powerful message you could ever learn.

5 out of 5 stars

I listen to this book every week.

By
Chris L
on
11-08-15

Modern Man in Search of a Soul

By:
Carl Gustav Jung

Narrated by:
Christopher Prince

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
967

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
822

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
813

Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the classic introduction to the thought of Carl Jung. Along with Freud and Adler, Jung was one of the chief founders of modern psychiatry. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology: dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion.

3 out of 5 stars

Could have almost been an automated text reader

By
The Critic
on
04-24-15

The Choice

Escaping the Past and Embracing the Possible

By:
Dr. Edith Eva Eger

Narrated by:
Tovah Feldshuh

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
845

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
764

Story

5 out of 5 stars
763

A powerful, moving memoir - and a practical guide to healing - written by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, an eminent psychologist whose own experiences as a Holocaust survivor help her treat patients and allow them to escape the prisons of their own minds.
The Choice weaves Eger's personal story with case studies from her work as a psychologist. Her patients and their stories illustrate different phases of healing and show how people can choose to escape the prisons they construct in their minds and find freedom, regardless of circumstance.

5 out of 5 stars

Please read!

By
Pennypie
on
11-12-17

Thinking, Fast and Slow

By:
Daniel Kahneman

Narrated by:
Patrick Egan

Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
12,942

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
11,011

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
10,912

The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In
Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking. Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains....

Frankl and his family were imprisoned in concentration camps during the war. Frankl was held in several camps before he was liberated from the last in 1945. During his time in the camps, Frankl witnessed the extreme cruelty of camp guards and the prisoners who were given special status by them, also known as Capos. He also witnessed the cruelty of the prisoners to each other as they underwent the three stages of reaction to their imprisonment.

4 out of 5 stars

Summary is a good overview

By
C Dylan Milks
on
10-11-17

Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning

By:
Viktor E. Frankl

Narrated by:
Grover Gardner

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
245

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
162

Story

4 out of 5 stars
166

Viktor Frankl is known to millions of listeners as a psychotherapist who has transcended his field in his search for answers to the ultimate questions of life, death, and suffering.
Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning explores the sometimes unconscious basic human desire for inspiration or revelation and illustrates how life can offer profound meaning at every turn.

5 out of 5 stars

Unconscious Religiousness and the Ultimate Meaning

By
Mirek
on
12-07-08

As a Man Thinketh

By:
James Allen

Narrated by:
Brian Holsopple

Length: 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
5,453

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,553

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,530

This audiobook version of
As A Man Thinketh is true to the original. Every word written by James Allen is spoken with clarity and authority by the narrator, making it easy to remember the information and absorb the timeless wisdom. This short audiobook, originally published in 1902, has had a huge impact in the field of personal development. It is regarded as one of the most important books of the new thought era. It's written in such a way that makes it easy to understand the most powerful message you could ever learn.

5 out of 5 stars

I listen to this book every week.

By
Chris L
on
11-08-15

Modern Man in Search of a Soul

By:
Carl Gustav Jung

Narrated by:
Christopher Prince

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
967

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
822

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
813

Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the classic introduction to the thought of Carl Jung. Along with Freud and Adler, Jung was one of the chief founders of modern psychiatry. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology: dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion.

3 out of 5 stars

Could have almost been an automated text reader

By
The Critic
on
04-24-15

The Choice

Escaping the Past and Embracing the Possible

By:
Dr. Edith Eva Eger

Narrated by:
Tovah Feldshuh

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
845

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
764

Story

5 out of 5 stars
763

A powerful, moving memoir - and a practical guide to healing - written by Dr. Edith Eva Eger, an eminent psychologist whose own experiences as a Holocaust survivor help her treat patients and allow them to escape the prisons of their own minds.
The Choice weaves Eger's personal story with case studies from her work as a psychologist. Her patients and their stories illustrate different phases of healing and show how people can choose to escape the prisons they construct in their minds and find freedom, regardless of circumstance.

5 out of 5 stars

Please read!

By
Pennypie
on
11-12-17

Thinking, Fast and Slow

By:
Daniel Kahneman

Narrated by:
Patrick Egan

Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
12,942

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
11,011

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
10,912

The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In
Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking. Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains....

5 out of 5 stars

Wow. Academic at times, but very thought-provoking

By
John
on
03-01-12

The Power of Now

By:
Eckhart Tolle

Narrated by:
Eckhart Tolle

Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
22,070

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
17,328

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
17,041

To make the journey into
The Power of Now you need to leave your analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. Access to the Now is everywhere - in the body, the silence, and the space all around you. These are the keys to enter a state of inner peace.

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires,
Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.

3 out of 5 stars

First half is fantastic; second half slows down

By
N.
on
02-26-19

The Obstacle Is the Way

The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

By:
Ryan Holiday

Narrated by:
Ryan Holiday

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
11,506

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10,125

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
10,041

We are stuck, stymied, frustrated. But it needn't be this way. There is a formula for success that's been followed by the icons of history - from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs - a formula that let them turn obstacles into opportunities. Faced with impossible situations, they found the astounding triumphs we all seek.

5 out of 5 stars

Great book I wish I had 25 years ago

By
Jason DeFillippo
on
05-08-14

Mastery

By:
Robert Greene

Narrated by:
Fred Sanders

Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,465

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,344

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
7,309

In Mastery, Robert Greene's fifth book, he mines the biographies of great historical figures for clues about gaining control over our own lives and destinies. Picking up where The 48 Laws of Power left off, Greene culls years of research and original interviews to blend historical anecdote and psychological insight, distilling the universal ingredients of the world's masters.

5 out of 5 stars

Focus on passion=Less stress and more success

By
Mark
on
05-04-15

The Alchemist

A Fable About Following Your Dream

By:
Paulo Coelho

Narrated by:
Jeremy Irons

Length: 4 hrs

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
43,253

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
37,571

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
37,586

Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest.

5 out of 5 stars

A Timeless Tale

By
Judi
on
01-07-07

Atomic Habits

An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

By:
James Clear

Narrated by:
James Clear

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
18,299

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
15,827

Story

5 out of 5 stars
15,649

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving - every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.

5 out of 5 stars

Personal 2018.11

By
Robert F. Jones
on
11-10-18

Influence

The Psychology of Persuasion

By:
Robert B. Cialdini

Narrated by:
George Newbern

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
8,012

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,890

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,830

Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say yes - and how to apply these understandings. Dr. Robert Cialdini is the seminal expert in the rapidly expanding field of influence and persuasion. His 35 years of rigorous, evidence-based research, along with a three-year program of study on what moves people to change behavior, has resulted in this highly acclaimed book. You'll learn the six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader - and how to defend yourself against them.

5 out of 5 stars

Eye Opening

By
ProudPapa34
on
01-08-17

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

By:
Stephen R. Covey

Narrated by:
Stephen R. Covey

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
26,464

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
20,554

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
20,440

Stephen R. Covey's book,
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has been a top seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. Celebrating its 15th year of helping people solve personal and professional problems, this special anniversary edition includes a new foreword and afterword written by Covey that explore whether the 7 Habits are still relevant and answer some of the most common questions he has received over the past 15 years.

4 out of 5 stars

I did not expect to like this book

By
Michael
on
04-23-17

Prisoners of Our Thoughts

Viktor Frankl's Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work

By:
Alex Pattakos,
Elaine Dundon

Narrated by:
Jeff Hoyt

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
55

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
45

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
45

World-renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's
Man's Search for Meaning was named by the Library of Congress as one of the 10 most influential books of the 20th century. Dr. Frankl's story of finding a reason to live in the most horrible circumstance imaginable - Nazi concentration camps - continues to inspire millions.

3 out of 5 stars

I’d rather read the original work.

By
Beast
on
03-04-19

Principles

Life and Work

By:
Ray Dalio

Narrated by:
Ray Dalio,
Jeremy Bobb

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
12,774

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
11,122

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
11,055

Ray Dalio, one of the world's most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he's developed, refined, and used over the past 40 years to create unique results in both life and business - and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.

3 out of 5 stars

Idea-meritocracy/Principles Reference

By
Patrick Eberle
on
06-30-18

12 Rules for Life

An Antidote to Chaos

By:
Jordan B. Peterson,
Norman Doidge MD - foreword

Narrated by:
Jordan B. Peterson

Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
49,712

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
44,772

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
44,398

What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research. Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.

5 out of 5 stars

Not Your Average 'Self Help' Book

By
TheBookie
on
06-04-18

Publisher's Summary

Internationally renowned psychiatrist, Viktor E. Frankl, endured years of unspeakable horror in Nazi death camps. During, and partly because of, his suffering, Dr. Frankl developed a revolutionary approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy. At the core of his theory is the belief that man's primary motivational force is his search for meaning.

Man's Search for Meaning is more than a story of Viktor E. Frankl's triumph: it is a remarkable blend of science and humanism and an introduction to the most significant psychological movement of our day.

Read This if You're Very Sick and/or Thinking About Ending Your Life

Does a chronic disease or messed up life have you feeling like you're at the end of the line? Are you feeling like it's time to end your life? Reading/listening to this book may end your suffering. The author, Dr. Frankl, has insights on life that may change your perspective. He was a Jewish doctor in Austria when the Nazis invaded in 1938. He had the opportunity to get out of the country, but decided to stay with his family. That was the wrong choice as he ended up in concentration camps, but this little book was the result. It was/is one of the most compelling that I've ever read. Steven Covey, the self help guru, made mention of this book in the first pages of his bestseller, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." It changed him. His self help system was based largely on this book. I could go on, but I'll just say that I read this book when I was in a dark, hopeless place after my doctor told me that my 11 month treatment would have to be extended to 18 months. Perhaps that sounds like no big deal, but I was living on savings and it meant that I would run out of money before the end. Obviously, that had me feeling pretty low. This book changed my perception of my lot and perked me right up! I couldn't change my fate, but I could change the way I thought and dealt with it. Best wishes & I hope you read this!

I will isten again and again

The beginning of this book deals with the author's time in concentration camps, and the descriptions are all to the purpose of tracing his observations, which he later builds his theory of logotherapy on. Thus, the descriptions are not horrifying for horrors sake, but serve to educate one regarding the way these experiences were able to be withstood.

There were a few surprises in this book as well. He mentions logotherapy, and paradoxical intention, in relation to its use in treatment for people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, among other things.

Most importantly, to myself, were the ways he showed how he had developed his ideas on man's search for meaning. These are ideas that he himself used to save his life while enduring four concentration camps. They are not ideals plucked out of the ether and argued with only intellect.

The narrator has a European accent, which I cannot place, but which added greatly to my listening experience. Sometimes the ideas flow thick and fast and it is a challenge to keep up while also taking in completely the ideas you just heard.

This is a book I will listen to repeatedly and learn from on each occassion.

One of the Most Important Books Ever Written

There are a handful of books that should truly be required and desired reading for everyone across the world. This is one of them. It is simultaneously repulsive and compelling, disheartening and hopeful.

I read this book perhaps 20 years ago. The older I get, the more I find new meaning in it. There are a great many self-help books out there that go on and on and say nothing. Then there's a book like this that offers an unblinking look at one of history's most horrific events from an inside perspective and uses that as a lead-in to offer to us a scientific embrace of the three little words that could mean the most to all of us.

Humbling

All the other people that have reviewed this book have captured the content of the book very well. The only thing I have to add is that this is a book about an extraordinary man, with all of the horror he was subjected to he still remained a wonderful human. He is not bitter and does not hate the people who subjected him to these unspeakable acts, instead he tries to find the good or humor in their acts.

This book humbled me; I used to get upset when someone took my parking spot, or cut into my queue but now I smile as I have never had to endure real horror or injustice.

Great book for those dealing w/ existential issues

Great book for anyone dealing with existential issues or anyone who wants an introduction into a sound anthropological psycho-therapy method. Frankl chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and from the viewpoint of his psycho-therapeutic / phenomenological method of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most sordid ones, and thus a reason to continue living. Through his experience, he developed a method of psycho-therapeutic method that he called logotherapy. His analysis focuses on a "will to meaning" as opposed to Adler's Nietzschean doctrine of "will to power" or Freud's "will to pleasure". Rather than power or pleasure, logotherapy is founded upon the belief that it is the striving to find a meaning in one's life that is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in humans. According to Frankl, "We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering" and that "everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances". For Frankl, it was his love for his wife that enabled him to survive Auschwitz and three other camps, not to mention many moments of "luck" or grace. Love, for Frankle, became the highest experience that a human can have. I appreciated the back story of Frankl's experience that lead to his method and agree with his conclusions, but I think some of his premises fall into a naturalistic fallacy. Nevertheless, he has a great ability to put into words the psychological and existential reality that one deals with when suffering or striving to understand a purpose in life.

Between stimulus and response, there is a space...

"Man's Search for Meaning" is the great summary of Frankl's view on life. Sold in 10 million copies - the book has two distinct parts - the first is a kind of memoir of the horrible time Frankl spent in at least four concentration camps during II World War, including Auschwitz. From all written stories about the life in camp - Frankl's relation is astonishing - there are no gruesome scenes, no ghastly relations - but through some cold description of prisoners shock, apathy, bitterness and finally deformation of morals - Frankl's account is one of the most fearful stories I have ever read. Yet, there is still a small light of humanness, still a germ of meaning in all these atrocities. Let's read: "We have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

The second part of the book deals with his LOGOTHERAPY - the fundamental theory Frankl promoted in XX century. Logotherapy seeks the cure for neurosis and existential emptiness in the search for meaning in life. There are passages in the book, also those about love and its importance that make one shiver....

Let's read two citations from this great book:

"An incurable psychotic individual may lose his usefulness but yet retain the dignity of a human being. This is my psychiatric credo."

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."

Invaluable path to a meaningful life

Frankel's account of his concentration experience is not as moving as those of Elie Wiesel, but the second half of the book on logotherapy draws together the threads of that experience into a structure for treating patients struggling with the existential crisis of life's meaning. Frankel, the founder of logotherapy (meaning therapy), is with Freud and Adler one of the primary Viennese psychiatrists of the 20th century. For Freud sexual conflicts were key to understanding mental turmoil. For Adler it was the struggle for personal power and superiority. Frankel thought that mental conflicts arose from a desire to know the why of existence. He thought that if we know the why we can live with any what. He said the why is clear if we can love someone and if we can work at something we enjoy.
The concentration camp experience also taught Frankel that he had control over his thoughts and feelings. No SS soldier could change his thoughts. He could always go somewhere in his mind. Frankel foreshadowed the present day's psychology of "think it and you will feel it."

Adversity-Suffering-Meaning

This is a book I would normally pass on the shelf. A friend who happens to be a Psychologist recommendedI I read this; after a terrible diagnosis I received. Never and I mean NEVER has a book enveloped me, inspired me, or, said exactly what I needed to hear, and on a level compare my own troubles to. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has given up on living a meaningful life; better even know what a meaningful life can be. I would give this book 5 stars, it didn’t solve my problem, but gave me the tools to do so on my own.

Great Book!

I got this book after Dr. Phil said he has read and re-read it several times in his life. While I'm not always a Dr. Phil fan, I think he has it right with this one. It's one of the few books I consistently recommend to anyone. Very insightful, unbiased, and amazing the he has actually lived what he learned and vice versa.

Touching Story of Resilience

What did you like best about this story?

It's difficult to describe the darkest moments of your life. It's even harder to find meaning in them. Frankl shows courage and great resilience by having created this work of art, which will help others find purpose in their struggles as well.

41 of 48 people found this review helpful

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Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Jim Vaughan

12-02-12

Potentially life changing...

So, we all know about the Holocaust, yet this book is a bit different - told with such "tragic optimism" that the message is not moral outrage or repulsion, but of meaning in the midst of unimaginable degradation. The "why" that makes the "how" of suffering bearable. Frankle quotes Nietzsche throughout.

The most moving passages for me were his imagined conversations with his wife, (who probably by that time was dead), which nonetheless gave him the purpose for continuing to live, and the glimpses of Nature, such as sunsets, raw in beauty, beyond the barbed wire.

His message is simple - it is in loving the people we love and in the struggle that our lives demand of us, that we find meaning that transcends the mere pleasure principle. Our own "ontic logos" is individually uncovered, not found through intellectual introspection on "THE meaning of life" (which is a nonsense and which usually just leads to neurosis).

Frankle highlights the contemporary consumerist "tyranny of happiness", which is endemic in the West, so that many patients feel not just unhappy, but deeply ashamed of their unhappiness.

Existentialism is not popular in the zeitgeist, but I think we can learn much from that generation who lived through the War, and the Holocaust, and developed such philosophies of coping with terrible hardship and suffering. By contrast, we can be very superficial, and self centred, and it left me considering what issues I cared about enough to take action on. Would I regret not doing so otherwise? Yes, probably - as an opportunity wasted!

This is a humane, inspiring, potentially life changing book; well narrated, subtle, profound and unpretentious. It deserves the highest rating.

37 of 38 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

R

05-03-08

Throw out your self-help books!

This is an utterly remarkable book for so many reasons. What strikes me most about it is how it really gives meaning to the idea that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. What I mean by this is the following: the book is not great psychology, nor great philosophy nor even great narrative. And yet, as a whole I would call it a great book. Why? Because it makes a definitive impact. I cannot say that I walked away from this book unchanged. I suppose it is Viktor Frankl himself who makes all the difference -- in him you find a truly humane, humble and ultimately wise human being. I was truly impressed to hear him quoting Nietzsche while in a concentration camp; this at a time when Nietzsche's work had been distorted and used to promote anti-semitism by the Nazis. One warning though -- his existentialist philosophy is outdated and really needs to be complemented by a contemporary understanding of human nature.

25 of 27 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Happy customer

06-15-16

Brilliant

The first part talks about what he learned in his experiences in concentration camps. It doesn't focus on gory details, but rather what insights can be drawn from the conditions. The second part is an introduction to logotherapy--which seeks to help people to find meaning in their lives and thus fulfillment.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

The Vikid Truth

12-19-16

Deep and Thought Provoking

This is a bool that make you think to the core of your being, it makes you ask just as the title suggests, what meaning actually is and how you can poses it.

The first half of the book is autobiographical and is an harrowing account of the concentration camps, harrowing but not graphic.

The second half is psychoanalytical and more theoretical.

I absolutely loved this book, I can recommend it to anyone one from young adult upwards.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Gabe Fleming (Audible staff)

06-05-18

The power of perspective

A book to return to again and again, whenever you feel your sense of perspective slipping. This is the story of a concentration camp prisoner whose humanity and intellect saw him through the worst of all times. The author states at the beginning that it is a book about humanity, not a record of the Holocaust or the realities of concentration camp life, and the lightness and readability of the writing is an incredible achievement. Frankl not only survived, but went on to form a school of psychotherapy that is still revered and relevant today. His central idea is that man can choose his attitude even when he loses control of his circumstances. Whatever horrors life throws at us, our thoughts remain our own. Whatever happens, we should be able to put our problems aside and focus on what is decent and humane and brilliant about the world around us. Compared to what Frankl and his generation went through we live in easy, care-free times. If he could keep his humanity and decency intact, the rest of us have no excuse.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Customer

12-09-16

shook me to the core and built me up again

my first Frankl. just had to finish. Audible is amazing at choosing right voices. grateful.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

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4 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

MarkPT

07-11-16

Eye opening!

I'd split this book into 3 sections.

The first is an amazing account of the war, Frankl's time there and the happenings. It really did open your eyes

The second part of say is about how he helped the people in camp, some links to finding meaning and purpose and crossing the bridge between his time in camp and his use of logo therapy .

The third part is where I tuned out a lot. It's his views and use of logotherapy so can get quite deep - I'm not sure if it's he subject matter or he very English narrator (which works well on the first 2 parts, not as much on the third!) but it was quite specialist!

Still, I'd rate this book highly for the first two sections!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Mr. P. A. A. Banjo

07-06-16

well read and structured

the text was insightful and well structured. the narrative of how to make the most meaningful life was given weight by the author's experiences

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Richard

09-11-15

Enlightening

Loved it. Well read Simon enjoyed the smooth connectivity of the various facets of logatheraphy which although a deeply scientific practice I, a layman found it stimulating and simply understandable. Too, Frankls' book gives an unprecedented insight to the total trauma of one's in such predicament, useful therefore in understanding the plight of one's in such a position today, that is long suffering struggles.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Wayne Flint

07-13-15

Valuable insight into mindworks

Very insightful book that is a great addition to anyone interested in what makes any persons struggle worth persevering with. The driving forces that can help someone overcome grief, adversity, when all seems pointless. So good I ordered the book for someone I know, and as a reference point for some volunteer work I do. Top notch book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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4 out of 5 stars

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Davide Gaido

06-17-15

An unmissable masterpiece

This should be a compulsory read for every human being.

The account of his days in concentration camps is a pure recount of events, from the perspective of a human being as opposed to most literature on the subject that add a patina of impersonality. I felt his pain, but most of all I felt his hope and deep humanity.

I couldn't give a perfect score because the second part of this book is an academic dissertation on the subject of logo-therapy, that although interesting, felt a bit out of place.

Narration is great, clear and suited.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

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4 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

Samuel

01-09-15

Intense in a very meaningful way.

This was 5 hrs of my life I shall hold dear, declaring that I felt truly alive and inspired by humanities potential to realising profound greatness.

Good narration, excellent content and griping insight.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Chris Brady

02-03-17

brilliant

What a great book I learned many great things including I should be more patient and more comfortable with suffering

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

victoria bone

01-21-17

Fantastic- meaning of life and why we are here

The last 2 chapers made me realise more about myself and my mindset towards my meaning of life.. everyone has a different meaning to life and its not just one meaning.. that meaning changes every moment of every situation xx

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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4 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Max

01-20-17

Fascinating

Frankl makes a compelling point throughout the book about finding meaning in your suffering. Frankl goes into detail about said point when he, in the first chapter, discusses his hellish experiences in a Nazi labor camp. In the second chapter, he goes into further detail by talking about his form psychotherapy, known as Logotherapy, where patients learn how they can find meaning in their suffering in order to live a more fulfilling life.Although the second chapter does drag a little at times, 'Man’s Search for Meaning' is still a book that I highly recommend, especially if you ever find yourself going through many challenging situations in life.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Andrew Chapman

04-07-15

outstanding book exceptional narration

an exceptional story that is narrated very well. the life stories shared have shifted my paradigms abd forever changed the lens through which I see the world. highly recommended.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Ainslie

10-29-16

Perfect narration

Great book that will humble and illuminate you. Read beautifully and set out in a thoughtful and understandable way. Highly recommend not only the book, but the listening experience as well.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

odailson

09-25-16

love the book

great book with an amazing real story that gives so many practical lessons for our daily struggles.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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Thomas

09-20-16

Amazing listening! Highly recommended

As we all look for some sort of meaning in our lives, this book opens a powerful conversation on how we have the choice in every situations to discover an empowering meaning in our actions and way of being.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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5 out of 5 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Customer

06-28-17

Insight into humanity and triumph over suffering.

A must read in this age if we are to avoid the worst of human urges and foster societies based on selfless values.